Italian Innovators

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Gianni Riotta (journalist, writer, director of Data Lab at LUISS Guido Carli University School of Government in Rome, and Pirelli visiting professor of Italian Studies at Princeton University) * Seeing America from an Italian/Sicilian perspective (1:30) * On the necessary relationship between journalism and academia (5:50) * Storytelling as a key resou...

The shape of victory (a presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * What is victory? A brief history of triumph, from the ancient world to the early modern era * The loss of the sense of feast and the transfiguration of military triumphs into sports feats * The shape of victory. The history & making of our most iconic trophy, the FIFA world cup * The designer of the FIFA world cup. Creative vision and ex...

A conversation between Luca Cottini (PhD) and Gaetano Di Tondo (VP, Communication and External Relations Director at Olivetti and President of the Olivetti historic archive) * Adriano Olivetti. A visionary entrepreneur and humanist * From comunità to community. The city-laboratory of Ivrea * From heritage to innovation. Olivetti today * Where design meets technology. An inexhaustible patrimony for...

What's in a scent (a presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * The booming industry of perfumery in connection to spa and fashion * A brief history of fragrances (from the ancient world to the Renaissance, from the 19th century culture of hygiene to mass-market) * The innovative method of Gentile's olfactory design: perfumes as analogical sites of memory and imagination * On literature and perfumes * S...

A conversation between Luca Cottini, Roberto Andreoni (composer and director of IES Milano), and Stefano Baldassarri (Renaissance scholar and director of ISI Florence) * Two elite study abroad programs and two key Italian cities. Studying in Florence and Milan * The Italian experience. What can a student really gain studying in Italy? Why does real understanding require time? * The Italian study a...

The Italian culture of figurine (A presentation by Luca Cottini, PhD) * The birth of trading cards around the American tobacco industry * Italian figurine and the innovative concept of the album * Collecting as memory and storytelling. Stickers, players, and cars * Panini and Modena. Volleyball, Maserati, and Parmigiano Reggiano Visit the official webpage at www.italianinnovators.com to find out m...

A conversation with Charles Leavitt IV, Assistant Professor of Italian Studies at the University of Notre Dame * Neorealism as a shared cultural discourse and a multidisciplinary aesthetics * Post-war reconstruction as a time of collaborative imagination and innovation * Cinematographic production, the economic boom & the emergence of Italian design * The impact of Italian neorealism on contempora...

The Magic of Conducting (a presentation by Luca Cottini) * The reconstruction concert. Milan, La Scala Theatre. May 11, 1946 * Italian opera and the post-war Italian rebirth * A phenomenal career, from Parma to Rio de Janeiro, from Milan to New York * Innovating conducting. Innovating theatre. Bringing the orchestra on records, radio and TV * From Orpheus to Puccini, from Verdi to Rossini. The mus...

A conversation between Luca Cottini and Fiorenzo Omenetto (Frank C. Doble Professor of Engineering, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Dean of research for the school of Engineering at Tufts University) * Silk as a cultural object and a fascinating innovation platform * From fashion to culture, from industry to nanotechnology * Innovation, play, and the ability to connect different spheres o...

Innovation Through Elegance (a presentation by Luca Cottini) * How it all started. From a meal in 1952 to the Pininfarina-Ferrari partnership * Battista "Pinin" Farina: the art of coach making, the Futurist influence, & the choice of the automobile as the ultimate symbol of modernity * Sergio Pininfarina: moving the father's legacy forward, the design of elegance as synthesis of beauty and perform...

How basketball became a thing of culture. A conversation between Luca Cottini and Flavio Tranquillo, journalist, writer, sportscaster, and Italian voice of the NBA for Sky Sport. * How basketball made it to Italy. Why Italy is one of the hottest markets for the NBA * The Italian reinvention of American products. NBA, Walt Disney, chewing gum * The business and culture of sports. On money and educa...

The Aesthetic Creativity of Science * The Higgs boson and the scientific, philosophical and religious search of the prime mover * The first woman to lead CERN, the world’s largest institute of fundamental research in physics * Music and the arts as the foundations of Gianotti’s scientific work * The pursuit of ‘useless’ knowledge in science and the humanities * The method of beauty. An ‘imperfect...

A conversation with Vic Rallo (restaurateur, wine critic, and host of the show "On the Road with Vic Rallo) * What is Italian food? * On quality, freshness, and genuineness vs counterfeits * Italian food as a platform to create and recognize value * What makes Italian wine distinctive? * Wine as culture, memory, imagination * How to create a wine list? The cellar as a gallery Visit the official we...

The Wise Audacity of Fighting * Fighting off prejudice. Italian-Americans and boxing * The boxing metaphor. The story of an African-Italian boxer and the current racially-related protests * The multifarious personality of the Black boxer who defied Mussolini’s racial propaganda * A normal life. Prudence, imagination, and innovative thinking against discrimination * The fight against racism and our...

A conversation with Ignazio Marino, transplant surgeon, professor of Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University, former Italian senator, former mayor of Rome, executive director of the Jefferson Italy Center and executive Vice President for International Innovative Strategic Ventures. * Assessing the Italian medical system. International ranking, scientific model, and political organization * The Ital...

The Pursuit of the Impossible. * Business as an impresa. The Adventure of Entrepreneurship * Mountaineering as a Calculated Pursuit of the Impossible. About Risk and Discipline * Stepping into the Unknown. K2, Mont Blanc, Patagonia, Matterhorn * From Active Alpinism to Storytelling. World Travelling as a Cultural Narration For additional video contents visit the YouTube channel of the show. For mo...

A conversation with Nicola Guerini (General Manager at Milano Fashion Institute) * The Milano Fashion Institute at the Intersection of Culture, Business, and Logistics * The Italian Fashion System as a Synthesis of Creativity, Manufacture, and Entrepreneurship * The Collaboration of Designers and Managers * What is Italian Fashion in a Global Context? * Fashion & Sustainability. Fashion & Pandemic...

Philosophizing Fashion. On Business, Culture, and Ethics. * About Umbria as a Laboratory of Identities and Landscapes * A Different Approach to the Fashion Industry * Philosophy as the Basis of Ethical Capitalism * Culture and Industry. About the Dignity and Meaning of Work * Turning Entrepreneurship into Legacy. Continuity Across Generations For additional video content visit the YouTube channel...

A conversation with Pier Forlano, Consul General of Italy in Philadelphia * Italy in the United States. A Consular, Cultural, and Commercial Network * On Italy as #1 Country for Cultural Influence and as an Extraordinary Country of Infinite Surprises * About Cultural Diplomacy, Soft Power, and International Political Relations * The World from an Italian Point of View. Italy from a Global Perspect...

A Woman Astronaut and Our Endless Quest for the Moon * The Moon of Galileo and the Moon of Leopardi. On Science & Poetry * From Apollo 8 to the Gateway Project. Man (or a Woman?) on the Moon * The Italian Space Agency/Industry. Italy’s Role in the International Space Station * The Woman of the Stars. A Unique Path of Excellence, Innovation, and Professionalism * Between Science and Culture. The In...

A conversation with Fred Simeone (Neurosurgeon and owner of the world’s #1 car collection, The Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia) * From Personal Passion to a Top Collection. The Creation of the World’s #1 Automobile Museum. * The Life of a Sports Car. Racing, Competition, and Entrepreneurship * Preserving Memory, Communicating to Future Generations * The Extraordinary Automobil...

The Spirit of Competition. * The Italian Obsession for Distinction. From Renaissance Courts to Automobiles * The Car as Reflection of an Inimitable Personality * From Tractors to Sports Cars. The Challenge to Ferrari * The Pursuit of Excellence. Competition, Malleability, and Experimentation * Speed, Beauty, and Profligacy. Pursuit of Eternity For additional video contents and more information abo...

A conversation with Clio Zammatteo (Co-Founder of ClioMakeUp, Entrepreneur, Author, Blogger, Influencer, TV Presenter) * From the Art of Painting to the Visual Language of Makeup * Makeup as a Multi-Media Platform: YouTube, Social Media, TV, Publishing * From Ephemerality to Duration. The Culture of the Makeup Business * Mastery, Authorship, and Creativity. A Recipe for Innovation and Success * An...

The Craft of Sound. * A Tribute to Bergamo, Brescia, and Cremona * The Birthplace of the Violin. Cremona, Monteverdi, Amati and Stradivari * The Master as Innovator. Il Maestro Morricone * From his Wife to His Master (Petrassi) and Directors (Leone and Tornatore) * Music as Craft, Relationship, and Space For additional video contents visit the YouTube channel of the show. For more information abou...

A conversation with Guido Bonsaver (Professor of Italian Modern Culture at Oxford University) * Italians in the US during the Revolutionary War * Americans in Italy and Italians in the US during the 19th Century * The Great Italian Emigration. Discriminating Italians, Idealizing Italy * Taylorism and Wilsonism in Italy in the early 20th Century * The Post-WWII Americanization of Italian Society Fo...